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A critical aspect of quality of life for older people is how they view and see themselves. A large body of literature documents the positive benefits of volunteerism in terms of increased psychological well-being. Volunteering is a way to express something of identity and values and there is good evidence that volunteering adds to volunteers' feeling of worth, value and self-esteem.
Senior Help Line Volunteers
Here, four volunteers reflect on their experience:
Joan Bennett is a Senior Help Line volunteer in Finglas
"I love it. I just love the interaction with other people and I love that I can help, whether they want to chat or have a particular problem. Some people have become what I call friends even though we have never met. A new caller recently phoned with a lot of health worries, he had seen our name in the doctor’s surgery, and at the end he said he was absolutely thrilled and felt much better. " When people phone with a problem or maybe they’ve had a row with someone, I say ‘well you picked up the ‘phone and that’s the first move to doing something abotu it’, and then I encourage them to talk through the problem and I listen, letting them speak at their own pace and when there’s a silence, letting them know I’m still there "I’m on on a Saturday and I just love when my day comes round. I hope to continue on the help line for many years to come."
Christy Forrest is a Senior Help Line volunteer in Summerhill
"A neighbour of ours who was a longtime volunteer used to encourage myself and my wife Maureen to come down to the Third Age Foundation in Summerhill. We were never in clubs before, but when I went I was caputred by the warmth of the welcome, everyone was so nice and friendly. So we were interested in being volunteers, in giving something back. The training wa wonderful, it opened up my mind to a lot of things I had never thought of before. I realised the value of having someone at the end of the line if you were lonely and had nobody to talk to."When I lift the phone to a caller, I feel open, I think I’m ready for whatever comes across. I find it easy to get people to talk and I think I’m a good listener."
Colette Pratt is a Senior Help Line volunteer in Limerick
"I joined eight years ago soon after it started. I was attracted to the idea of a help line for older people. I like people, and the most important thing is listening, paying attention and taking an interest."I think being older ourselves is an advantage because if you were younger, you may not have the same understanding of the problems you hear. Of course, each person’s experience is different. But I do feel I understand if someone rings and says ‘I’m on my own now because my family has gone’, that I can listen with empathy. I also feel that I’m in the very lucky position of having a very good, close family, and that if my circumstances were different, I would really appreciate it if someone was there to listen to me. At times people phone with specific problems, at other times they just may have nobody else to talk to.
"You get the same people quite often, and can develop a bit of a relationship with them. You may not know where they live, but you can recognise their voice, use their name and ask them how they are. I think that means a lot."
Dave Turner is a Senior Help Line volunteer coordinator in Drogheda.
"We all joined in early 2007 when the Drogheda help line opened. I really like it. I enjoy listening and talking to people. When someone phones with a problem, I am conscious of the need to listen. I see a value in letting people talk about their feelings, and it may also be helpful to make some suggestions about something they may not have thought of. We get lots of people who phone us on a regular basis and who introduce themselves."I think the help line does valuable work. If someone want to chat every day, there is something valuable in that person knowing that someone cares enough to listen to them. Many of them thank us af the end of the call and we hope we have achieved something for them through listening. They wouldn’t keep calling back unless they were getting something from it.
"As the coordinator I’m in touch with all our volunteers and I know that we also benefit from being on the help line. It gives many volunteers a wider perspective on their own troubles and problems so being on the help line is really good for us too."
Volunteering in Ireland
There are up to 25,000 local and national voluntary organisations in Ireland employing the equivalent of 65,000 full-time workers. According to the Centre for Non-Profit Management, Trinity College, Dublin over 1.57m people volunteer a total of over 465,625 hours per year. The total estimated contribution of the sector to the Irish economy is €2.5 billion annually.
Volunteering Ireland
Volunteering Ireland is a membership based organisation which promotes high quality voluntary activity by encouraging relevant organisations to adopt good policy and practice, and by acting as a link between such organisations and potential volunteers. Volunteering Ireland opened Ireland's first Volunteer Centre and has promoted, supported and facilitated voluntary action in Ireland since 1997. To find out more, log on to www.volunteeringireland.ie
International Volunteer Day
The UN General Assembly designated December 5 as an annual celebration of voluntary action by people and communities across the world. International Volunteer Day (IVD) is for volunteers across all social sectors working in communities round the globe. To find out more, log on to www.unvolunteers.org
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